“Politics is the art of controlling your environment.”
Hunter S. Thompson

1968 wasn't the best year in US history. January saw the beginning of the Tet Offensive in Vietnam. In April Martin Luther King Jr. was killed. In June Robert Kennedy, brother of the famous John F. Kennedy was murdered before he could mount his challenge to become President. And in August 1968 the outlaw journalist Hunter S. Thompson attended the Democratic National Convention.

Thompson was never able to write about his experiences at that convention in Chicago. On national television America watched police brutally beating protestors throughout the mean streets of the Windy City. The protestors were a loose collection of anti-war demonstrators, minority groups and political activists. They were all concerned about the direction of their country and wanted their voices heard. They received Billy clubs and tear gas for their concern.

I've taken this tangent into US history as a prelude to admitting I made a mistake last issue. Yes. Sadly, I forgot to include the Quebec Provincial Police on my list of security forces protecting the Prosperity and Security meetings in Montebello, Quebec. I like to give credit where credit is due. It's only fair. The QPP were indeed present, lending their boots to the action, as it were. It's also only fair for a citizen of Canada to question why three Quebec police officers were caught, beyond a shadow of a doubt, pretending to be violent protestors.

In case you missed this incident allow me let to enlighten you. Three men, wearing bandanas, were tearing through the Montebello protestors, carrying rocks, trying to incite violence. When no one rallied to their cause they approached police lines, conversed with the officers, and allowed themselves to be gently handcuffed and taken away. Supposedly arrested, though no charges were filed. The alert protestors took video of the incident and noticed that the arrested men were wearing the same boots as the uniformed officers. Matters went poorly from that point on for the police, and it was eventually admitted that the men were in fact Quebec Police officers, inserted into the crowds to monitor potential violence. There's not been much talk about what would have happened if the undercover cops had managed to incite violence and Stockwell Day, our Minister of Public Safety, has not addressed this incident in any meaningful way.

What does US history and a weird protest incident in Quebec have to do with you? What's the point here? Well, re-read the lead quote. Thompson wrote that sentence after the Chicago convention. His energies ignited by witnessing cops beating people in the streets, enflamed by having a cop jab a club in his stomach, Thompson went on to run for Sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado, on a mescaline platform. He knew that weird freaks, who enjoyed guns, drugs, partying and freedom of expression, or simple war protestors needed to maintain an interest in the political process. Otherwise, welcome to the Billy club.

In Canada we're not quite as extreme as our friends to the South. Our cops have the good sense to get caught provoking violence, completely distracting the public from the Prosperity and Security meetings, which were buried under the scandalous actions of the three QPP officers. I suspect the three men in question will be punished with a demotion to embassy security in a nice warm location, like Mexico, where the tequila is cheap, a Canadian dollar is worth more than ten pesos, a place where they can switch from jackboots to comfy sandals, a country with which we now have undefined security and prosperity agreements. I guess.

So, as students entering a period of interesting political activity, election time, the only time when politicians bother to acknowledge we exist in any meaningful capacity, we should be attempting to control our environment.

For instance, that kegger you plan on throwing or attending... Were you aware that the Ontario police are suggesting a Keg Registry? Yes, if such a proposal becomes law, the police will be able to launch “pre-emptive strikes” against evil keg parties. Note the language. Very authoritative. Very war-like. The dangers of keg stands are well documented, and we all know drunken students are prone to having sex and fun. Really, no better than booze-fueled terrorists, to be preemptively struck before any serious damage can be permanently inflicted on livers young and old alike.

This type of targeted political legislation is how our personal and collective freedoms are chipped away, a keg at a time. Because, as we all know, ignorance of the law is no defense and if we don''t pay attention to our political environment then we might never realize why what was legal yesterday is illegal today. A confiscated keg may be the least of your worries one day. Just wait until the powers that be figure out how to tax sex.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.